Sunday, August 07, 2005
Stuck between a Mack and a hard place...
So, recently I took a brief day trip to D.C. from Richmond, and one thing struck me. Traffic can not get any worse in D.C. before people start shooting each other with much regularity.
Can anyone please explain to me what the Mixing Bowl hopes to accomplish? Isn't it possible that growth patterns have already passed it by, making it relatively obsolete? Is there really social engineering going on, where the econ development folks are talking with the traffic guys?
ON A WEEKEND, I was stuck in traffic so bad that a normally one and a half hour trip took us three and a half hours+ to complete. No reason for the backups. 10 mph for an hour straight and then 85 for another. I can only imagine what this would be during rush hour (although I have no desire to find out).
It seems to me like Washington needs an enormous expansion of the Metro lines, and some semblance of a policy on growth. The city keeps expanding dramatically with enormous housing developments, yet no clear policy on how it will impact the community.
Yes, there are a few examples of "smart growth" in D.C., but overwhelmingly we saw the exact opposite.
This is one of the many issues in Virginia that must be addressed immediately. I-81 is another crushing problem, and there has to be another option other than what Fluor and Star are proposing. How about a few intermodal terminals? The one in Roanoke, another in Wytheville, and more reliance on rail to get some of the trucks off a narrow, hilly, and twisty interstate.
I'm not even going to get into the problems Tidewater has.
These problems grow gradually, and it's too late before we realize. Perhaps this surplus next year (unless the tax package is repealed) can at least make a dent on what is already a multi-billion dollar problem, and will only get worse unless we start paying attention. It's clear now is the time we've got to do something.
Can anyone please explain to me what the Mixing Bowl hopes to accomplish? Isn't it possible that growth patterns have already passed it by, making it relatively obsolete? Is there really social engineering going on, where the econ development folks are talking with the traffic guys?
ON A WEEKEND, I was stuck in traffic so bad that a normally one and a half hour trip took us three and a half hours+ to complete. No reason for the backups. 10 mph for an hour straight and then 85 for another. I can only imagine what this would be during rush hour (although I have no desire to find out).
It seems to me like Washington needs an enormous expansion of the Metro lines, and some semblance of a policy on growth. The city keeps expanding dramatically with enormous housing developments, yet no clear policy on how it will impact the community.
Yes, there are a few examples of "smart growth" in D.C., but overwhelmingly we saw the exact opposite.
This is one of the many issues in Virginia that must be addressed immediately. I-81 is another crushing problem, and there has to be another option other than what Fluor and Star are proposing. How about a few intermodal terminals? The one in Roanoke, another in Wytheville, and more reliance on rail to get some of the trucks off a narrow, hilly, and twisty interstate.
I'm not even going to get into the problems Tidewater has.
These problems grow gradually, and it's too late before we realize. Perhaps this surplus next year (unless the tax package is repealed) can at least make a dent on what is already a multi-billion dollar problem, and will only get worse unless we start paying attention. It's clear now is the time we've got to do something.
